Fabulous Five

1. Taking all five kids to Evan's physical therapy session this morning. There is something energizing (and validating) about getting five young children up, fed, dressed and out the door by 8 am. And there is nothing more heart warming than watching my children offer Evan their encouragement and support as he works hard to achieve his goals. He has his own fan club and they motivate him to keep going when the going gets tough.

2. I took a long nap today. It was fabulous.

3. I love spying on my kids. . . .watching them when they don't know that I am there. I love observing how their minds work and seeing the intensity, focus and creativity that goes into their play. Today I watched from a distance as Joshua played alone in the playroom while the other kids were busy creating artistic masterpieces at the kitchen table. Watching Joshua always brings a smile to my face and it takes a lot of willpower to remain in my "hiding place" when all I want to do is eat him up!

4. The kids and I made chocolate chip cookies this afternoon. As we stood in the kitchen licking the batter from the beaters, the spatulas and the bowl, I was reminded of all the times that my siblings and I stood in the many kitchens of our childhood doing the exact same thing with our mother. It made me smile to think of all of the yummy memories we were creating at that very moment!

5. My "exercise buddy" came to visit me again tonight. Several months ago, while I was in Philadelphia with Evan, Richard called and told me about a mammoth possum that he had discovered on our back porch. A few days later, as I was sweating to the oldies (well, not literally, but I am sure it looks just as silly), I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head and there, staring right at me through the french doors, was the mammoth possum. I can only imagine what he was thinking as we stared at each other through the glass. It made me giggle. Tonight, as I was once again getting my groove on, I looked out of the french doors to see that my buddy had returned. . .and he had brought a friend (I can imagine their conversation went something like this, "C'mon man, you've got to see this crazy lady!"). I tried to capture them on camera (yes, it really is amazing that I can keep pace with my workout while operating a camera), but my efforts were thwarted by the hundreds of tiny fingerprints on the glass (which I must admit, made me smile as well). Ah, the things that amuse me!